Reviewing The Bridge Episode Four: “The Acorn”

Title: The BridgeNetwork: FXAirtime: Wednesday 10 PMStarring: Demian Bichir, Diane Kruger, Matthew Lillard, Adriana Mendez, Ted Levine, Thomas M. WrightAbout the Episode: “The Acorn”: The tentacles of Fausto Galvan’s, the Mexican drug lord, reach well into the seats of power, we discover in this episode. We knew he had the local police chief firmly wiggling under his thumb, but his influence extends beyond that into the heart of “legitimate” capitalism—the banks. But perhaps that is not the most interesting thing we learn—what of his hold over Eleanor Nacht? The episode’s title draws its name from the end, as Eleanor feeds an acorn to, well, we aren’t really sure. The supernatural allusions are kept well alive as a less-than-human hand “daintily” snatches the acorn from Eleanor. (I was reminded of the excellent short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” but the context is not the same, really.) Eleanor clearly has some connection to the “creature?” but what is it? And is that the nature of her powers?

What We Think: The discovery of Eleanor’s subjugation to Fausto is hardly the only interesting development. Each of the story threads advance interestingly: Marco and Sonya both as a team and individually (will Sonya discover what Marco knows?); Daniel and Adriana, El-Paso reporters (they seem at serious risk to me); Charlotte and Ray (Ray’s idiocy is the show’s only attempt at humor); Linder and Bob (their self-righteous desire for justice will surely lead them to the heart of Fausto’s lair). All the threads are moving toward each other and the point of intersection seems close at hand. I am looking forward to when any of the threads slam into each other, as they must, for the fallout will be gripping television, seems to me. The buildup, the tension, is terrific.

Our Grade: A. The show juggles so many plot points in a deft manner that it raises to the top of TV dramas. Additionally, the stakes could not be any higher for almost everyone. Certainly, law enforcement agents are not safe—we have seen this—and Marco is stuck in the middle. His character, a deeply wounded man, desperately trying to do what’s right—is compelling enough and we understand his caution regarding Mexican Prosecutor. Marco appears to be playing the long game. But he is not safe. No character seems safe in this complex show.